1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ammunition loading system for a large caliber cannon and more particularly to such a system which automatically loads rounds including projectiles of all sizes into the breech of the cannon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An ammunition round in general consists of three parts; a projectile, a propelling charge and a primer. Large caliber ammunition usually falls into two categories. "Separate ammunition" is the term applied to ammunition in which all three parts are separate and are brought together only at the breech of a cannon. "Semi-fixed ammunition" is the other type of large caliber ammunition wherein the projectile is separate but the propellant and the primer are fixed together. Both of the foregoing types of ammunition may include the conventional ballistic projectile or may include a guided projectile. The guided projectile has a length which is excessive for convenient handling within the confines of most gun mount shields or covers.
Ammunition loading systems are well known for large caliber cannons mounted on a gun carriage. The barrel of such a cannon is generally controllable in elevation on the carriage and the carriage is controllable in azimuth. Such a cannon is seen in the disclosure of the Girouard et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,218,930. This disclosure relates to an ammunition handling system wherein magazines provide both a projectile and a propellant charge to a hoist which lifts the projectile and charge together up to a carrier. The carrier receives the projectile and charge together and rotates to the azimuth position of the gun carriage. When the carrier reaches the gun azimuth position, the projectile and charge, referred to as a round hereinafter, is received from the carrier by a cradle on the gun carriage which is elevated about the gun support trunnion to a position such that the round is adjacent the rear of the gun and the cradle axis is parallel to the axis of the gun bore. The round is transferred from the cradle to a transfer tray and the tray is then swung downwardly to a position which is coaxial with the bore of the gun. The round is then rammed into the breech to complete the transfer from the magazine to the gun breech.
Most guided projectiles such as rockets are launched from an open breech mechanism such as the automatic rocket launchers which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,625,107 and 3,625,108 to Smith et al, together with U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,109 issued to Cornelison, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,110 issued to Cornelison et al. A vertically disposed magazine carries a stack of rocket rounds which gravitate to the bottom of the magazine. A star wheel arrangement brings the lower-most rocket round into a tray which is aligned with a revolver chamber, and a hydraulic ram transfers the round from the tray into the revolver chamber. The chamber is then revolved into alignment with the rocket firing tube in which the rocket is ignited and from which the rocket is propelled. The preferred embodiment discloses a four chamber revolving mechanism wherein two of the chambers which are displaced by 180.degree., are loaded simultaneously and the other two chambers which are displaced by 180.degree., are fired simultaneously. Thus, as two live rocket rounds are positioned within the rocket firing tubes two empty chambers are presented to be loaded by the rocket rounds dropped into the trays from the magazine.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,122,967 issued to Johnson et al discloses a system for delivering semi-fixed rounds of ammunition from a magazine to the breech of a large caliber gun movable in azimuth and elevation. The magazine includes drum type holders for projectiles and propellant charges which deliver a projectile and a propellant charge together to a lower hoist. The lower hoist lifts the round to a movable carrier. The carrier is caused to rotate about the gun azimuth axis and to deliver the round to an upper hoist. The upper hoist rotates with the gun carriage and delivers the round to a swinging cradle which carries the round to a position where it is delivered to a transfer tray. The tray moves the round into axial alignment with the bore of the gun and a ram is utilized to insert the round into the gun breech.